Zohran Mamdani dinged in New York Times report for ‘problem’ of not having Black deputy mayors
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, one of the most progressive elected officials in America, has a diversity "problem" on his hands.
The New York Times published a report on Thursday headlined, "None of Mamdani’s Deputy Mayors Are Black. It Has Become a Problem," which says some Black and Latino leaders are concerned that "they are being denied access to power" under the new mayor, who ran on a hard-left platform and was celebrated in the press for being the first Muslim and first south Asian mayor in the city's history.
New York Times reporter Jeffery C. Mays noted that Mamdani won the Democratic mayoral primary last year without much support from Black voters, prompting him to work with leaders and churches from the Black community in order to ensure a diverse administration.
"But in his rollout as mayor, Mr. Mamdani has appointed five deputy mayors, none of them Black; one was Latino," Mays wrote before detailing some moves Mamdani has made to help Black voters that apparently aren’t enough for the community leaders.
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Mamdani "announced Afua Atta-Mensah, who led his campaign outreach to Black voters, as the new chief equity officer and commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice" and "reaffirmed his commitment to releasing a long overdue and mandated plan to address racial disparities in New York City."
"The moves were welcomed by Black and Latino leaders, but they still questioned Mr. Mamdani’s commitment to racial equity," Mays wrote.
Described as a "well-known Black political consultant," Tyquana Henderson-Rivers told the paper that Mamdani "doesn’t have the best relationship with the Black community" and "it seems like he’s not interested in us because there’s no representation in his kitchen cabinet."
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The Times then touted the staffs of former Mayors Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio for being more diverse. Adams, Mamdani's predecessor, ran as an independent for a second term in 2025 but dropped out of the race when he lagged in the polls.
Kirsten John Foy, the president of the civil rights group Arc of Justice, told the Times that Mamdani is "tone deaf to the cries of Black and Latinos in the city for access to power."
The Times also noted that Mamdani has chosen two Black people for high-profile gigs, schools chancellor and director of intergovernmental affairs, but "leaders say those appointments do not constitute the level of diversity they had expected" from the far-left mayor.
The Times spoke with other Black community leaders who dumped on Mamdani, such as the head of the New York State NAACP who suggested "there doesn’t seem to be a lot of focus and attention on the needs of Black New Yorkers in the city."
Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Mamdani spokesperson disputed the idea the administration wasn't committed to diversity when reached by the Times.
The spokesperson told the Times that of 32 appointees so far, 18 have been Asian American, Latino, Middle Eastern or Black. The administration told the Times it plans to make "six high-level commissioner or director appointments, five of whom are expected to be Black or Latino."
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Many took to social media to mock the notion that Mamdani is not "woke" enough, with one commentator saying, "It must be so exhausting being a lib."